Stevenage 2 County 1

Not quite a stuffing, but Dave Challinor’s men did look like a bunch of turkeys on Saturday afternoon unfortunately, especially in that second half

Dec 16, 2024

Monday 16 December 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Stevenage supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Monday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

More than 3,200 new words and phrases were added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year; words such as “the ick” – popularised by the reality show Love Island. Now I’m not for one minute suggesting The Scarf My Father Wore has the same cultural impact on the nation as the hit ITV2 dating show, but “Stevenagey” should certainly be under consideration for next year’s new additions, a term coined by Dan Levy following County’s fourth consecutive Broadhall Way defeat on Saturday. It’s one of those places County just never seem to turn up at, playing directly into their opponents’ hands, and as a result the Hatters made the long trip home empty handed once again. Lewis from The Broadhall Way provides the Boro view.

23 photos from County’s last away day before Christmas

The Scarf My Father Wore

Dec 15

Read full story

Today’s edition is sponsored by Guerrilla Chicken Spirits and BGM Decorators. A big thank you to Paul and Ben.

Thanks also to Our Mutual Friend who sponsor our Stevenage content on the website.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 192.73 miles

Total steps so far: 311,804

Total raised so far: £2,192

Total completed streets so far: 474 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

✍️ Saturday’s match in one word

Lewis: Resilience.

Dan: Stevenagey.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Lewis: Take a point, but hoping something would turn regarding our goalscoring record this season.

Dan: That we ought to be better than Stevenage, but because it’s Stevenage, we might not be and they’d find a way to better us.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Lewis: We’ve got our Stevenage back. Now to kick on!

Dan: Pretty annoyed. We were so much better than them for the first 20 minutes or so, without threatening them, and they were so pinned back that we really should have been looking for a comfortable scoreline. It was our fault that we ended up playing to their strengths and forgetting to put the ball on the ground and pass it quickly.

🔴 Verdict on Stevenage

Lewis: Good for the first 20, then it was all County until half-time. Our half-time team talk certainly worked, as we came back out for a battle.

Dan: Very Stevenage. Scored on the break twice. Fell over whenever the opportunity arose. Steve Evans may have moved on, but Stevenage haven’t.

🟡 Verdict on County

Lewis: Dominant but not creative enough.

Dan: Pretty dismal. I think we’re finding teams have worked out that the best way to overcome our strength is to sit back and avoid us being able to counterattack. Don’t give any space to Macca or Barry. That’s exactly what Stevenage did, and we weren’t able to threaten them much at all.

🔴 Top Boro

Lewis: For me Luther Wildin. Barry had neat touches and moments of explosiveness but didn’t trouble Luther. It was similar to watching Wildin against Orient’s Smyth a few seasons back, Luther the winner as always.

Dan: Roberts. Managed to ensure that his heels got clipped for the pen. And later on, despite being about five metres from the far side, the ref let him walk off to the other side when being substituted. Stevenagey par excellence.

🎩 Top Hatter

Lewis: I’d say Wootton. His hold-up play was really impressive and it’s not easy to play against Carl Piergianni. Honourable mentions to Horsfall and Bate. Barry didn’t like the physicality of Stevenage.

Dan: Camps.

👂 Atmosphere

Lewis: County travelled well. I was actually hosting a pop-up shop at Our Mutual Friend prior to kick-off, had some great conversations with lots of friendly County supporters. The landlord credited your behaviour. I rate the fancy dress effort too! At the game, however, the Boro had more chants and noise on the day. I guess the result played a part in that.

Dan: We started with enthusiasm but it was hard to keep going. It was hard to tell that Stevenage fans were there. The ground is still pretty much as it was when they were non-league, including a terrace along the whole of one side of the pitch, like the Pop Side of old. We of course played them in the FA Cup before they were in the Football League – and because it was Stevenage we managed to lose that one too.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Lewis: To finally kick on, scoring goals and winning more games. My expectation hasn’t changed: mid-table finish for me. If we make the top half that’s a success and we build for next year. It’s a tough league with big budgets this season – we’re little old Stevenage remember!

Dan: Get back to winning ways. I reckon we should finish just in or just out of the play-offs, but it’s pretty clear that we’d find it really hard if we got promoted – we just aren’t at that level yet.

😀 Best part of the day

Lewis: Enjoyed our first goal and the move. Happy to see Jamie Reid scoring again, and I loved my mate and stadium announcer Jay getting the crowd going with the fist pumps at the final whistle. It’s what we’re all about, the fans really coming together to support a well-run community club.

Dan: The lack of traffic between Oxford and Stevenage made for a quick journey.

😡 Worst part of the day

Lewis: The weather in the second half. That was Bovril weather.

Dan: Unfortunately the quick journey was to Stevenage.

The British Library receives a copy of every single book published in the UK. In the same fashion, Des Junior believes a detailed record of every County game should be preserved for the history books. So here’s the full story of our 2-1 defeat at Stevenage on Saturday 14 December, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

12.42pm: Four go mad in St Neots:

1.07pm: Looks like one of those deprived, dysfunctional families who’ve won a trip to Disneyland.

1.11pm: Or when Rodders won the art competition.

3.13pm: Not keen on Bate and Camps as a pair. They’re too similar, both wanting to get on the ball and make something happen, which is great, but I’d feel better with a more defensively minded player in there.

3.22pm: Like a hot knife through butter. Good goal but too easy.

3.24pm: If we scored it we'd be saying it was a great goal.

3.26pm: Get in! Great finish from Camps.

3.27pm: Awkward bounce for the keeper, that.

3.48pm: Not a bad half. Too pedestrian from us until we equalised. One way traffic since then but they are functional and determined. If we want it more than them, we'll win. Need to keep up the intensity though.

4.11pm: FFS, Ibby.

4.12pm: Why do we always make hard fucking work of everything?

4.13pm: Because it’s County.

4.14pm: He's going nowhere. Just doesn't need to do that.

4.54pm: We will do well to stay in the play-off conversation, which we are capable of. But to do so we have to stop results like this. Birmingham you can excuse, but the likes of today, Lincoln, Northampton, Wigan – they’re what may stop us. A dropped ball today.

5.44pm: Responding to and learning from the (second half) performance is more important than the result for me. I've been repeating myself since we got promoted and I expect to keep doing so, but it's all about improving as a team/squad. Going up this season would leave us with a nightmare next season – there's not a chance we could compete in that division based on where we are now. Learn, grow, improve. A proper, full on promotion push is at least another full season away for me.

7.25pm: Back to back underwhelming performances by a combined total of 20 players (approx). Not totally sure who Chally picks on Friday.

7.27pm: Time to bring the old Mad Hatters out of retirement?

7.38pm: A certain Des Hinks used to do a job up front at Worldnet, when he wasn't on the pull all night in Leeds!

5 questions with Paul from Guerrilla Chicken Spirits

What was the funniest moment with your business in November?

At a trade stand in a local stately home type building a lady tried to silently steal one of the carabiners I give away with the bottles and the crinkle of the plastic wrapping didn’t put her off. I couldn’t challenge her, just thought it was hilarious.

What’s your plans for the business in December?

Loads of Christmas markets and fairs, getting out meeting and talking with people. Got to get folk to try the drinks!

What would you like to promote to The Scarf My Father Wore readers this month?

We’ve got some nice Christmas drinks and gifts in stock. I’m more than happy to offer a 10% discount. Just use the code ‘Scarf10’ at checkout.

What are you hoping Father Christmas will bring you this year?

As a Wycombe fan, I’d love a few points for us over Christmas! We’re normally very poor over the festive break but hopefully we can get a couple of wins. As for Guerrilla Chicken, it’s huge for me – I need Christmas sales to justify giving up the day job (including working for a company based in Stockport!) and focusing on the booze business.

How does a typical Christmas Day look in your house?

Quiet – no kids running downstairs at 5am. Ease our way into the morning, local pub for a couple of pints then home for Christmas dinner. My wife is an amazing cook and hands down, her Christmas Day cuisine is something else: Brussels sprouts sautéed with chestnuts, honey roasted carrots, proper bread sauce… it just goes on and on. This is followed by a nice cosy afternoon in front of the fire with a few board games and a bit of TV. Good old-fashioned pursuits I guess.

➡️ Visit guerrilla-chicken.com to see the full range of drinks and gifts, and don’t forget to use the code Scarf10 for a 10% discount!

Leave the painting and decorating to the professionals

Don’t be like this random stranger Des Junior found on the internet. He thought he could decorate his living room himself. But now look at him, sat forlorn on his floor covered in a tin of Dulux. His wife’s left him, and his evenings are now occupied by microwave meals and old repeats of The Sweeney. You know what he should have done, don’t you? He should have called BGM Decorators.

BGM Decorators is a family business that has been in the trade since 1988. They’ve been built on hard work, honesty, and a high quality service that has consistently enhanced their reputation. They provide a painting and decorating service on a domestic and commercial basis across Stockport, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as well as offering tenant turnover services and working alongside estate agencies and private landlords.

➡️ Give Ben a call on 07816 589989 or email bgm.decorators@yahoo.co.uk.

Photo of the day

The Armoury, Shaw Heath

A photo from The Armoury’s Facebook page yesterday, ahead of the Manchester derby. That poor old County shirt all on its own on the wall…

5 questions with Natalie from Our Mutual Friend

First of all, how were our lot on Saturday?

We really enjoyed having the County fans in on Saturday. They’re a lovely bunch!

What was the best moment with your business in November?

Our charity comedy night, which raised over £250 for people struggling in Stevenage. A local charity that supports people and families going through a hard time.

What’s your plans for the business in December?

We’re gearing up for our Christmas party, as well as our children’s party with a visit from Santa and his elves. Then we have an action packed New Year’s Eve party with children’s entertainment, live bands and a disco.

What are you hoping Father Christmas will bring you this year?

Just health and happiness for our friends, family and customers.

How does a typical Christmas Day look in your house?

A typical Christmas Day for us is here in the pub with our regulars and our family.

➡️ Visit craftunionpubs.com/our-mutual-friend-stevenage for further details.

Today in SK

🍻 Food and drink

Feeling festive? Get down to The Dog & Partridge (SK2) for a pint of Tom & Berry. With an exciting blend of Robinson’s Old Tom with the taste of winter berries, it’s the perfect drink to get you in the Christmas mood.

Bitter £2.30 a pint all night at The Cross Keys (SK8).

A number of venues are featured on The Scarf My Father Wore such as The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Crown Inn (SK6), The Steelworks (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7), Flute & Firkin (SK12) and The Ram’s Head (SK12). Support them this festive season by popping in for a few drinks.

🎶 Free jukebox

The Nelson Tavern (SK1). From 6.30pm.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#75 – Anthony Elding, Leeds

Anthony Elding – who played for non-league Stevenage when they dumped County out of the FA Cup in 2003 – made nine appearances for Leeds after leaving Edgeley Park halfway through the 2007-08 campaign, scoring once.